Underground R ailroad Midd le Sc hool Teac her Inst ruct ions and
Reproducible Act ivit y
This activity includes three reproducible “quilt squares.” On a quilt square, a student will write
a vocabulary word or the name of a significant person, and then the word definition or the
person’s significance. Students will also color their squares. The squares may be hung on the
bulletin board to form a vocabulary quilt.
Supplies needed: vocabulary list, quilt square worksheets, pens, black markers (for writing),
crayons, and/or colored pencils.
Direct ions:
1. First, provide students with the attached vocabulary list and definitions.
2. Next, give each student at least one quilt square. (You may give each student more than
one square, depending upon how much room you have for the quilt and how big you wish for
it to be.)
3. After handing out the squares, explain to the students that they are to write one vocabulary
word or the name of an important person from the Underground Railroad unit on each square.
Next, they are to write the definition of the word or describe the person’s importance. (Have
the students write their names on the back of the squares.)
4. Tell the students that they can color their squares once they have written their information.
Urge them to use colorful crayons or colored pencils to color the squares brightly.
©Carole Marsh/Gallopade International
800-536-2438
www.gallopade.com
Underground Railroad Vocabulary Words (Middle School)
Freedman—a former slave whose freedom was purchased, given by an owner, or granted
by law
Fugitive Slave Act—(1850) passed as a provision to the Compromise of 1850. It allowed slave
owners or slave catchers to enter non-slaveholding states to capture escaped slaves.
Slave—person bound by servitude or owned by another
Abolition—the act of outlawing slavery
Abolitionist—person who was opposed to slavery and fought to end it
Emancipation—to be set free from slavery
Harriet Tubman—escaped slave and one of the most famous conductors on the Underground
Railroad; helped lead over 300 slaves to freedom
William Still—an escaped slave who is often referred to as “The Father of the
Underground Railroad”
Frederick Douglass— escaped slave and abolitionist who founded an anti-slavery newspaper,
The North Star, in 1847
Thomas Garrett—a Quaker who helped over 2700 slaves escape to freedom
John Brown—abolitionist who led the raid at Harper’s Ferry
Sojourner Truth—freed slave who spoke out against slavery
Fugitive/Escapee/Runaway—a person who is running away
Agents—people who assisted runaway slaves in finding their way along the Underground
Railroad
Dred Scott Decision—a ruling made by the Supreme Court in 1857 which stated that people
of African descent—whether they were free or slaves—could not be American citizens
©Carole Marsh/Gallopade International
800-536-2438
www.gallopade.com
Antebellum—pre-Civil War era
Abraham Lincoln—16th President of the United States; issued the Emancipation
Proclamation; he was the U.S. President during the Civil War
Levi Coffin—Quaker who was anti-slavery; his home was a station on the Underground
Railroad; he helped more than 2,000 slaves escape
Emancipation Proclamation—issued by President Abraham Lincoln on January 1, 1863,
freeing the slaves in all Confederate States
Civil War—a war between the Union (northern states) and the Confederacy (southern states),
fought from 1861-1865
Auction—where slaves were bought and sold
13th Amendment—an amendment to the U.S. Constitution, passed in 1865, which abolished
slavery and involuntary servitude in the United States and its territories
Quakers—a religious community founded in England in the 17th Century; also known as the
Society of Friends; many in this group felt it was their duty to help slaves find freedom
Slaveholders—those who owned slaves
Stations—hiding places on the Underground Railroad; another name for safe houses
Rebellion—a fight or struggle against any kind of authority or control
Masters—those who owned slaves; another term for slaveholder
Safe house—places on the Underground Railroad where escaped slaves could hide and have
food and shelter
Plantation—a large farm on which crops, such as cotton, were grown; slave labor was the
primary labor force on plantations
Passengers/Cargo—code words for escaped slaves traveling on the Underground Railroad
Spirituals—religious songs sung by the slaves to lift their spirits and relay coded information
©Carole Marsh/Gallopade International
800-536-2438
www.gallopade.com
“A friend of a friend”—a secret password used on the Underground Railroad
Stationmasters—people who allowed runaway slaves to hide in their homes
Quilt—blanket made from squares of fabric that are sewn together; sometimes used to relay
messages to runaways
Lanterns—used to indicate that a location was a safe house for fugitive slaves
Canada—after the Fugitive Slave Act was passed, thousands of slaves escaped to Canada where
this law was ineffective
Patrollers—men who searched for escaped slaves
Load of potatoes/parcels/bundle of wood—code words for the transporting of escaping slaves
on the Underground Railroad
Overseer—person who supervised the work of slaves on a plantation
Cotton gin—1793 invention that revolutionized cotton harvesting and created a tremendous
demand for slave labor
Drinking gourd—code name for the Big Dipper, the group of stars runaway slaves used to
locate the North Star
North Star—used by slaves to find their way north and to freedom
Eli Whitney—invented the cotton gin
Cotton—a major cash-producing crop in the southern United States in the 18th and
19th centuries
Cash crop—a crop grown by a farmer to sell for a profit rather than for his personal use
©Carole Marsh/Gallopade International
800-536-2438
www.gallopade.com
©Carole Marsh/Gallopade International
800-536-2438
www.gallopade.com
©Carole Marsh/Gallopade International
800-536-2438
www.gallopade.com
©Carole Marsh/Gallopade International
800-536-2438
www.gallopade.com